FTTC download performance dropped by 2/3rds since 19 Dec

Looking at the SamKnows performance report for my FTTC connection, it shows that my download speed has dropped from 62Mbps to 18.7 Mbps since the 19th December 2013.

Past experience has shown that the PN support guys and gals do not know of or understand the Samknows monitoring system and will require a series of other tests to prove or not prove that the FTTC service has gone to pot.

Is this decline the result of too many kids on school holidays being on the web and a combination of the ISPs and BT not providing enough capacity?

So when do the kids go back and get off the internet.

If you want a sensible answer you would need to carry out a BT speedtest and further diagnostics to see if the IP profile has also dropped or if it is just congestion

I think it time for ofcom to tell BTW what are the estimate speed if your local exchange ever get into congestion!

Edited by adslmax (Fri 27-Dec-13 12:00:34)

Just checked my Samknows report for December and download speed is flat at between 62 and 63Mbps for the whole period apart from three brief drops to about 59 on 5th, 11th and 21st. So not a generic problem.

It has speeded up, got to 62 and 18, I did a BT speed test yesterday and it gave the Sync speed at 72ish and up and down speeds at 23 and 17 ish.

The quiet line test gives a slight crackle on the line.

By mid afternoon the speed has dropped to 23Mbs

Edited by DRW (Sun 29-Dec-13 18:38:11)

I reported the noisy Quiet Line test to Plusnet, they checked the line and detected a faulty line. They said should be fixed by the 8th Jan.

Today the telephone line was dead and I saw an Openreach engineer checking the cables in a manhole.
Confirmed he was working on my line and line eventually came back

Interesting thing is that the BB speed was increased dramatically at 4am on the 1st of January, there was a short interrupt to the connection (as detected by the BB Quality Monitor on this site).

The fault reported by PN to me was a "Battery Contact" so was it routinely repaired by a scheduled maintenance procedure in the exchange - ? or by PN reporting the issue to BT and BT activating the fix.

Many years ago I worked in a factory making Strowger switch gear exchanges and I remember one of the "racks" was dedicated to checking the circuits. Perhaps this process has been carried forward to the current equipment.

Moral from this story.

Check the voice line quality before getting involved with checking and swapping routers etc

It is easier to get support for correcting bad voice line performance. The quality of the flimsy bit of copper between the green cabinet and your master socket is perhaps the weakest link in the connection between you and your favourite web site.

So thanks to PN and Openreach

Edited by DRW (Fri 03-Jan-14 11:47:12)

Reading the original post it sounds as though the OP knew nothing of his speed drop until the Sam Knows report came through, which is what I have suspected for a long time - the vast majority of Internet users could not tell the difference between a download speed of 62Mbps and 18Mbps!

Edited by deleted (Fri 03-Jan-14 12:47:23)

Where's the "like" button when you need it?

.....and before the "I am paying for 78Mbps download speed" people get up in arms, I would ask why are you paying for such speed when, in over 75% of cases, you do not need it? (Or is it a "macho" thing?)

I've just had FTTC installed. Previously had an 18/1 ADSL2+ connection.

Irrespective of the headline speeds I have noticed a huge (HUGE) improvement on the effect of traffic on latency.

It's worth the extra just for that when you have a family with a number of gamers.
For me it's night and day and a 'no brainer' as Mr Bacon would say.

Everyone's circumstances are different however. Not sure where your 75% came from??

I check the SamKnows stats most days (sometimes several times a day) and as I had experienced similar drop outs in performance that last for a few days, I waited a few days before getting motivated to start doing something about it.

I do actually benefit from the higher speed as I download quite a bit of data averaging about 40GB per month sometimes higher sometimes lower. I like to see it arrive as soon as I see that the data is available - I do not want to spend all day downloading a 20 diskette update of an operating on a dial up connection as I had to in 2000 and earlier.
The current technology suppliers have an expectation that all users have near instantaneous connectivity and tough on you if you do not.

Regardless of whether I truly need the speed I would subscribe to a faster service if and when one becomes available via PN.

In reply to a post by Stevenage_Neil:

.....and before the "I am paying for 78Mbps download speed" people get up in arms, I would ask why are you paying for such speed when, in over 75% of cases, you do not need it? (Or is it a "macho" thing?)

With some ISPs, including Plusnet, an "unlimited usage" goes with the 80/20 option, but the 40/10 option tends to have a usage allowance, which in the case of Plusnet also brings speed capping on some traffic.